Puppet Posted March 21, 2009 Share Posted March 21, 2009 yes i agree you always put thing into a positive light. people like hy set the tone for hone lines in his time. just like BAC Ed denon(60's) BAC gorege garzone, erick Rosen (70's) other people that had impact in my music Jim wedge 27th, and Dave Hill DPV ill all great people. I agree. Jim did a great job with 27th! 1971 for them was extraordinary! BITD, small horn lines (as compared with today) were much more dynamic with the use of soft versus loud passages especially when you consider we were much less professional than those of today. Most horn players and drummers we marched with joined our corps in the winter with absolutely no skills and were on the field the next summer with confidence and spirit. Men like Hy, George, Erick, Dave & Jim made a great difference in the era that preceded DCI. It is just too bad there are too few keepsakes (in the way of recordings and especially for today's young folks - video - just 'cause they don't get it unless they can see it) of what went on before 1972. Thanks for making me remember! Puppet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironlips Posted March 21, 2009 Share Posted March 21, 2009 Puppet points out precisely why the re-release of the entire Fleetwood Catalog is of such importance. Kudos also go to John Donovan of DCP for his committment to the history of the activity. Many who played on these classic recordings browse the DCA and Alumni Forums, but it'sequally vital to keep discussions of this type going on this side of the house as well. That's how we'll pass along the gift of their history to today's drum corps performers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 Puppet points out precisely why the re-release of the entire Fleetwood Catalog is of such importance. Kudos also go to John Donovan of DCP for his committment to the history of the activity.Many who played on these classic recordings browse the DCA and Alumni Forums, but it'sequally vital to keep discussions of this type going on this side of the house as well. That's how we'll pass along the gift of their history to today's drum corps performers. Frank, I'm kinda partial to whoever it was that arranged most of the Cadets show from 1971...any idea who that might be??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironlips Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 (edited) That would be Larry Schillings, Glen Ridge HS band director, and another guy, some upstart, hot-head rookie instructor wanna-be. Edited March 23, 2009 by ironlips Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 That would be Larry Schillings, Glen Ridge HS band director, and another guy, some upstart, hot-head rookie instructor wanna-be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayfallon Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 There are so many people on these threads who talk about guys who were and are arrangers and I will tell you none of them even come close to the work Hy Dreitzer did with the horn lines or the ideas he had with multiple classical composers and or contemporary composers from Bernstein to Copland and for corps from the upper west side of Manhatten to a Long Island all girl's corps to the Mid west - from Junior to Senior corps ( can you say Skyliners?!). No one at no time, e ver has created more (or the best!) Drum Corps charts for more corps for more people who couldn't even read music than Hy Dreitzer. Unlike the "arrangers" of today, he actually wrote his charts instead of buying them, taught them instead of handing out sheet music or mp3 files. He is a Hall of Fame person for a reason. The horn lines who sang his charts (he used to say "sing it out, make it sing!") are legion and among the best that ever marched. You can always have a big horn line, or even a loud one but I will tell you in no uncertain terms - a small, (38-40 line) who are motivated, well trained and made to understand what the music they are playing means makes for a line that not only sounds larger than they are when they need to, but has more pathos when asked to. Hy was more than just a "fine" arranger, he was a Drum Corps mystic. Puppet Puppet, As always - you hit it on the head - I'm a John Sasso guy - love Crawford, Genero, Denon, Lee Wolf, of the later guys (and gals) I like Frank's work, Larry Kerchner, Ott, Baumgarner, and others. But... I think the most important drum corps horn arranger ever was Hy Dreitzer. Just my opinion, but I think more people got turned on to the activity by Hy's sounds than by any other stimulus. He was simply amazing, and was called away way too soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puppet Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 Puppet,As always - you hit it on the head - I'm a John Sasso guy - love Crawford, Genero, Denon, Lee Wolf, of the later guys (and gals) I like Frank's work, Larry Kerchner, Ott, Baumgarner, and others. But... I think the most important drum corps horn arranger ever was Hy Dreitzer. Just my opinion, but I think more people got turned on to the activity by Hy's sounds than by any other stimulus. He was simply amazing, and was called away way too soon. Ray, I appreciate that. I sometimes get a little too passionate about whay Hy, Carmen, and Eric gave to us urban kids from Brooklyn but if you marched Oceanside you heard us as St. Joseph Patron Cadets and that was the infancy of the horn line we were to become as St. Rita's. What I like more than anything else about our times in the late sixties early seventies were that there were so many different sounds coming out of so many different corps. That was the thing - the diversity - you knew what the Bridgemen, the Bronx Kingsmen or Muchachos sounded like, what Blessed Sac, Garfield, the Kilties or 27th sounded like without even watching. Mid west corps like Madison or the Black Knights and the Cavies had their sound and it wasn't anything like those of Santa Clara or Anaheim. It's not so much like that anymore IMO. It's all long chords with little melody and very little or no story telling. Sometimes, homogenization isn't healthy. Where are the Hy Dreitzers when we need them? Puppet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayfallon Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Ray, I appreciate that. I sometimes get a little too passionate about whay Hy, Carmen, and Eric gave to us urban kids from Brooklyn but if you marched Oceanside you heard us as St. Joseph Patron Cadets and that was the infancy of the horn line we were to become as St. Rita's. What I like more than anything else about our times in the late sixties early seventies were that there were so many different sounds coming out of so many different corps. That was the thing - the diversity - you knew what the Bridgemen, the Bronx Kingsmen or Muchachos sounded like, what Blessed Sac, Garfield, the Kilties or 27th sounded like without even watching. Mid west corps like Madison or the Black Knights and the Cavies had their sound and it wasn't anything like those of Santa Clara or Anaheim. It's not so much like that anymore IMO. It's all long chords with little melody and very little or no story telling. Sometimes, homogenization isn't healthy. Where are the Hy Dreitzers when we need them? Puppet Everything you say is true, but like everything it's really complicated. Broadway for instance. Besides Les Mis and Miss Saigon it's hard to think of shows in the past couple of decades that are "drum corps shows>" (and neither of those shows is from the past couple of decades. And copyrights - we just played whatever we wanted - getting permission now is difficult and many corps are opting to have their music people write original shows which too often sound like a string of drum corps cliches (I'll get in trouble for that one - but it's my opinion - I'll stand by it - btw I'm not saying they're aren't exceptions.) Even Hy would be facing issues if he were still in the game - but he was a giant without whom this activity might never have evolved into what it became. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Everything you say is true, but like everything it's really complicated. Broadway for instance. Besides Les Mis and Miss Saigon it's hard to think of shows in the past couple of decades that are "drum corps shows>" (and neither of those shows is from the past couple of decades. Ray, I have always thought that "Ragime" would make a great marching show. Within the past two decades..."Jekyll and Hyde" has been done quite well by various corps and bands. Another Frank Wildhorn show, "Scarlet Pimpernel", also has 'marchable' music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayfallon Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Ray,I have always thought that "Ragime" would make a great marching show. Within the past two decades..."Jekyll and Hyde" has been done quite well by various corps and bands. Another Frank Wildhorn show, "Scarlet Pimpernel", also has 'marchable' music. Mike, There are ALWAYS exceptions. I do think it's significant that you came up with a couple, as opposed to the number we had at our fingertips during the '60s and even '70s. It's just hard to think about taking (for instance) West Side Story around the block again, even though it's being rolled out on Broadway again. Obviously I agree with your point - I just don't think it negates the issues of show choices that have arisen over the past couple of decades. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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